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TBPP2011: Looking Foward with Chris Sarette

What has quickly become a tradition, we are finishing off the first series of the year looking at our most recent annual winner of The Best Product Person. Chris Sarette, The Best Product Person of 2011, is the estimable subject of this series. Over the past weeks I have shared segments from a Q&A session I had with Chris — lending some insight into why Chris truly is The Best Product Person of 2011.

In this final installment of the series we explore the path leading from here.

Looking forward…

> What trends do you see in product management? positive trends? any negative trends?

My sincere hope is that Mend is part of a trend that has people digging deeper to find out the people they’re affecting with their purchasing decisions. Right now, it’s very tough – you’re forced to rely on what you hope are sound business practices of the stores and brands you buy from. But I think the success of movements like Etsy and Farmers Markets is part of a growing trend to re-connect consumers to makers/providers, and the desire by consumers to shop with greater confidence.

> How do you see product management evolving over the next 5 years?

Both online and brick-and-mortar retailers are looking to provide a buying experience that’s more dynamic and exciting for consumers, and I think products will evolve to meet these expectations. I think we’ll see more and more of projects like Levi’s Water Less Jeans (http://store.levi.com/waterless/), which bring consumers into the manufacturing experience.

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About Jeremy Horn

Jeremy Horn is an award-winning, product management veteran with thirteen years of experience leading and managing product teams. Jeremy has held various executive and advisory roles, from founder of several start-ups to driving diverse organizations in online services, consumer products, and social media. As founder of The Product Group, he has created the largest product management meetup in the world and hosts the annual awarding of The Best Product Person. Jeremy can currently be found pioneering the next generation of content management and sharing at Viacom, acting as creator and instructor of the 10-week product management course at General Assembly, and mentoring at Women 2.0 and Lean Startup Machine.
Follow Jeremy on twitter @theproductguy or his blog at http://tpgblog.com.